The Washington critic., 1887-10-29

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wANrED-A POSTAL TELEGRhPH.
If the question were put to the
American people to abolish the Govern
ment Postutlicc Department and sub.
stitute m individual contract system
for carrying the mails, perhaps a hun
dred thousand ,Npcctant contractors
would he found to iulurse the proposi.
tlon. but it Is safe to say that the ten
million voters Of the country would be
practically unapimuuS against 1t.
This branch Of the public service
answers its purpose 60 admirably
works with such dispatch and regu.
larity, Incurs 50 few LOSSES and delays
and is administered throughout with
such uHvlrylng certainty that our cit
izens could never be induced to take 1t
out Of the control of the Government
and place 1t iu the hands Of private
parties.
OR suppose the further question
were put TO the American people, with
view Of relieving the Government of
all responsibility In the matter, 10 sell
out the whole business to one man,
known to be capable of conducting 1t
properly and abundantly able TO give
the necessary security-who, we pray,
beside the one man proposed, would
give 1t q consenting vote2
The common sense of the universal
nation would revolt at the bare idea OF
confiding the transmission Of the con-
fidential correspondence of sixty
millions of people TO any one indi-
vidual, no matter how great his facili-
ties or good his bond.
Yet system Of correspondence, only
next In Importance to the mail service,
and In some respects involving still
more weighty trust, because Of the
open and unsealed character of Its
communications, is about to pass into
the possession, If 1t Is not already
NhNiSt oit -
a man reputed to be ambitious of
welding this monopoly because of the
power 1t bestows-and the people have
no recourse against his sole and unre.
stricted exercise of this stupendous
franchise, excepting as they may here.
after find protection in the General
Government,
The question now arises, the Gov
eminent having established mall
service which has 50 grown into the
confidence Of the country that under no
consideration would the people permit
its transfer to private management,
whether the time has not also arrived
for the Government to organize and
operate telegraph system, as well as
postal system, that In the transmission
of messages by wire, as in transporta-
tion of letters by mail, the people may
have the benefit of cheaper rates and
absolute security against the extortions
and caprices of great corporation
headed by Jay Gould.
There is every reason to believe that
Government telegraph, whether ac-
qulred by Independent construction,
regardless of existing competition, OF
by gradual purchase upon Its own
terms as existing competition became
forced to the wall, would soon become
SO thoroughly popularized that Its
patrons would no more consent to Its
dlscontinuance than to the abolition
OF the General Postofilce, and would
wonder that they ever submitted so
long and patiently to the exactions and
impositiona of the system that just
now has tighter grip upon the public
than ever before.
II is, II anything, more offensive to
every sense of right and justice that
Jay Gould should have 667, 900 miles
of telegraph wire running into his
office, than that he should be given
an exclusive contract for handling the
mails of the country. The former, for
obvious reasons, implies power far
more capable of manipulation to per-
sonal ends than the latter, and the
temptation to thus manipulate 1t is so
great that we doubt II even Saul of
haNO CNci bcCh
had he owned similar monopoly.
To obviate all difficulties upon this
score, therefore; TO do away entirely
with private enter p Use In this. s.direction.
which all runs into consolidation as
naturally as waters run into the sea; to
make assurance doubly sure that tho
public will not be bled by exorbitan,
rates for the purpose Of declaring big
dividends and pillng up big surplus
10 reduce the telegraph service to the
minimum of cost and the maximum Of
efficiency, let Congress take up this
urgent question early In the coming
session and enact the necessary legisll'
tlon for the establishment and main.
tenance Of telegraphlc service through
out the United States under the direct
supervision OF the Government at
Washington.
Either this has to be done, or Mr.. jay
Gould and his associates viii become
more powerful as the arbiters OF
finance, politics and commerce, than
the Government itself.
THE right angled streets of Chicago
involve problem that the Herald Of
that city says must soon be taken In
hand; and the sooner, so much cheaper
and aaeiar will ba tho anIutIOn The